(Calyptorhynchus latirostris)
Length: 55-60 cm Declining
The Carnaby is mostly dark grey with narrow light grey scalloping produced by narrow pale grey margins at the tip of its feathers. It has a crest of short feathers on its head with whitish patches of feathers that cover the ears. Its lateral tail feathers are white with black tips and the central tail feathers are all black.
Its beak is shorter and broader than that of the closely related and similar Long Billed Black Cockatoos (known as Baudin’s Black Cockatoo). Adult males have a dark grey beak and pink eye rings. Adult females have a bone coloured beak, grey eye rings and ear patches that are paler than those of the males.
They prefer the habitat of forest, woodland, heath and farms and feed on Banksias, Hakeas and Dryandras – often on the ground. They also exploit pine plantations. They stay together in large wandering flocks. The voice is loud, querulous and high wailing. They also feed off seeds from Eucalyptus and Corymbia.
Typically they sit in the crowns of trees cracking the seed pods or cones but occasionally they forage for fallen seed on the ground. There is a Stone Pine (Prius Pinea) in Fraser Avenue, King’s Park which is called Carnaby’s Kitchen; a favourite of the Carnaby in search of the tasty pine nuts.
This Cockatoo is recognised as endangered under Federal Legislation and also has a Schedule 1 (fauna that is rare or is likely to become extinct) Notice under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 of Western Australia. The population has fallen by over 50% over 45 years and up to 1/3 of its traditional breeding grounds in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia has been abandoned.
